The Sound Of My Heart
by ImyG
Summary: Celestine is the new Vocaloid in town. She manages to get caught between two sides of the Vocaloid family, the ones who love Miku and the ones who don't. She's also between two sides of the humans, the ones who love Vocaloids and the ones who want them destroyed. Mild language, Meiko's sake addiction and adult humor.


The Sound Of My Heart

Chapter 1

The Imperfect Vocaloid

The tired professor sat in front of the monitors. A team of white coated professionals were rushing about all around him. Yet he remained silent and stared at the monitors. An intern handed him a coffee and he thanked her. The screens displayed different readings. There were at least eight in all; they displayed things like heartbeats, brain waves, etc. One of the screens received the most attention from the scientists. There were five bars, with percentages next to each one of them. They read: hearing, vision, touch, taste and smell. They were all at 90% percent and climbing. The professor was biting his fingernails. Today they were setting up the new Vocaloid. Their new Vocaloid was about come to life in only a week. But this one would be different. He had personally added a new chemical into the mix, designed purposefully to enhance the Vocaloids. He thought it would make this one better than the others, maybe this one could be the next Miku Hatsune but on a bigger scale. He stood up and looked at the big glass pane to his left. He walked over to it and looked out the window. There was a big room, black tiles and almost empty apart from various scientific equipment and one huge glass jar in the middle. Inside the jar, there was a human figure, surrounded in green goo. It was completely lifeless; it was just suspended in the goo. Wires came in and out of the figure, and they were connected to various equipment. He gazed at it and thought how beautiful it was. Suddenly, red sirens began flashing.

A lab apprentice called him over. 'Sir!' he cried.

The professor ran over to the monitors and shouted, 'What the hell is going on?'

Another scientist said, 'Vision levels, sir, they're falling. Fast!' The professor looked at the Vision bar and it was falling.

He swore, and another scientist with a laptop said, 'We can't stop it!'

He ruffled his hair and shouted, 'Pull the lever!'

The apprentice looked at him and said, 'But sir, it's not sch-'

He shouted, 'I don't care! She'll be blind if we don't act now! Pull it!' One of the scientists had his hands on a big red lever. He turned over to the professor.

The professor yelled at him, 'NOW!'

He pulled down the lever and all the scientists rushed over to the window. The tank began glowing brightly. The room filled with light and the scientists had to squint. The glass door of the jar opened, revealing a blue eyed, blonde haired teenage girl. She began coughing and then collapsed. They all rushed into the room, the professor concerned and barking orders,

'Get her to the medical room. Doctor Whitehall, diagnose her. And someone get the poor kid a dressing gown!'

Later on, the professor walked down the corridor. He stopped at a door. There was a computer panel to his right, which said, 'Place hand here'. He put his hand on the screen, and it began scanning. He nervously twitched and the screen bleeped. The door opened. Inside was a small room, white as white could be, filled with medical equipment. There was a glass panel on one wall with a door, leading to another room. The professor walked inside, where Dr Whitehall was waiting. The professor glanced into the other room, where the girl was lying on top of a bed, wearing a white dressing gown. The doctor stood up and said, 'Sir.'

The professor looked at him and said, 'How is she?'

The doctor replied, 'She's alright. Just a little shock, I suppose. Unscheduled awakenings are unorthodox.'

'More than that, I'd say. How's her vision?'

'Well, I'm glad you acted when you did. Any longer and she would have been completely blind. But she'll need glasses.'

They walked over to the glass pane and looked at her, lying serene and still on her back.

The professor said to himself, 'Poor kid. It's my fault.'

Whitehall said to him, 'You had no choice.'

The lab-man smiled at him and said, 'Maybe. But the general won't be too pleased. That woman wants perfection.'

There was a brief silence while they looked at her. The doctor broke the silence and said, 'Maybe she is perfect. Perfection takes time, regardless of what General Thrust says.'

Elsewhere, the lab intern ran up a similar corridor. She opened the double doors, into a small courtyard. She ran into the opposite building and opened the door. She stepped into the tiny room. There was one double door in front of her, with a panel on the right wall. She placed her delicate hand on the panel and it began scanning. It stopped and said, 'Handprint not recognised. Please try again.' She swore and remembered that she didn't have clearance. She saw the alarm on the left wall, next to the intercoms. She thought about using the alarm, but she decided that wouldn't be a good idea. She looked at the intercoms. There were so many. She put both her arms on the two rows of intercoms, all of them buzzing at once. She stepped outside and Lily stuck her head out the window.

She shouted, 'Daisy? What's going on?'

Daisy shouted, 'The new Vocaloid! She's active!'

Lily smiled and shouted, 'She?! Awesome! Hang on, I thought she was meant to activate next week!'

All the other Vocaloids rushed out the door in a panic. A blonde haired girl with cat ears said to Daisy, 'What's going on?'

Daisy said loudly, 'Everyone, calm down. The new Vocaloid is active.'

A violet haired girl said, 'Um... Why do you need all of us?'

Daisy smiled and said, 'To welcome the new Vocaloid!'

A pink haired boy said to her, 'Daisy, that's just the welcoming committee.'

Daisy blushed and said, 'Oh, there's a welcoming committee? Welcoming committee, come with me. Sorry guys.' The other Vocaloids went back inside, muttering. The welcoming committee stepped forward; Miku, Luka, Rin and Len. They followed Daisy into the other building.

Back in the medical room, the girl was still faint. The professor and Dr Whitehall were still in the room, monitoring her. The door opened, revealing a stern looking woman, in a sharp suit. The two men bowed briefly, and said, 'General.' She walked into the room and said, 'What is going on?' She looked through the glass and said angrily, 'Why is there a Vocaloid in the medical bay?'

The professor stepped forwards and said nervously, 'This is the new Vocaloid. We activated her.' She looked at him sharply and said, 'Without my permission?!'

He nodded and she raised her hand. The doctor stepped in and said, 'There was a problem. He had to! She has a problem with her vision. He needed to act fast to prevent blindness.'

She looked at the Vocaloid and said, 'Get rid of her. I don't care how, just do it.'

The professor stood tall and said, 'I can't let you do that! I know I have no power over this company... But they are living beings! Each one is like a child to me. I can't let you throw her life away.'

The general was shocked, so she left the room. Whitehall put his hand on the professor's shoulder and said, 'That was brave. Good man.'

A few minutes later, the girl opened her eyes. Everything was blurry and unclear. She saw two figures looming over her. One said, 'Hello.'

She noticed her voice was clear and calm. 'Hello?'

The figure said, 'Good... Keep still.' She saw something come towards her. She starting screaming, but he managed to get the glasses on her face. Everything looked clearer to her. She smiled. The professor said, 'There. That's better, isn't it?'

She looked at him, his kind face, and said, 'Mmm... Better.'

The professor smiled and said, 'That's good. Well, introductions. My name is Professor Zack, but you can call me Dad.'

She grinned and said, 'Dad. My name?'

He looked at the doctor and he shrugged. Zack looked at her and said, 'Um...I'm not sure. Daisy!'

Daisy walked into the room and said, 'What's the matter?'

Zack looked at her and said, 'This Vocaloid needs a name. Would you do the honours?'

Daisy walked over to her and squinted. She was nervous, so was the Vocaloid. Daisy smiled and said, 'Celestine. Celestine Lyric.'

Whitehall smiled and said, 'Nice one, Daisy.'

Daisy smiled and Zack looked at the Vocaloid and she smiled at him.

'Celestine. That's your name.'

She grinned and said, 'Celestine...Lyric.'

She laughed and cheered, 'Celestine Lyric!'

Everyone laughed, and Celestine tried to sit up. She gradually sat upright, with a little help from the doctor and the professor.

Celestine looked at the professor and said, 'What's Vocaloid?'

He said, 'That's what you are. A Vocaloid. Designed to sing.'

Daisy smiled and said, 'Give us a song, go on.'

She said, 'Song?'

Zack said, 'We should have installed a few tunes already, but because of the rushed awakening...'

Daisy whispered, 'A Vocaloid who can't sing?'

Whitehall stepped in and looked at Celestine. 'Repeat after me.

_What shall we do with the drunken sailor?_

_What shall we do with the drunken sailor?_

_What shall we do with the drunken sailor?_

_Ear-ly in the morning._'

The professor stared coldly at the doctor and said, 'Very imaginative.' His voice wasn't very good, but Celestine repeated. Her voice was clear, smooth and beautiful. The three professionals clapped and Celestine smiled.

Daisy looked at the two men and quietly said, 'She might not be perfect but that girl can sing.'

Whitehall said to Celestine, 'Celestine, we need to run some tests.'

Celestine looked curiously at him. 'Tests?'

He said, 'Nothing to fancy for starters. Can you walk?'

She shrugged and Daisy walked up and down the room. 'Like this, see? One foot in front of the other.'

Celestine hesitated then put both of her feet on the ground. She applied force on her feet and lifted herself. The men grabbed her arms and helped her up. When she stood upright, she made them let go. She put one foot in front of the other. She was walking! She smiled and walked up and down the little room. Everyone clapped.

Zack looked at her and said, 'Follow us. We have some people we want you to meet.'

Celestine nodded and followed them out of the room.

They entered into another room, where four people were waiting. Zack sat Celestine down and said to the four people there, 'This is Celestine, our newest Vocaloid. Say hello.'

Celestine shyly said, 'Hello.'

Miku stood up said, 'Hi there! It's nice to meet you! I'm Miku!' She held out her hand, Celestine stared at it and Miku blushed. 'Oh, I'm sorry. I guess you don't know how to shake hands.' Celestine held other hand too, mimicking Miku. Miku quickly swapped over her hands, shaked Celestine's hand and smiled. Celestine smiled back and the professor spoke. 'Right, we'll be going now. Welcoming Committee, we leave Celestine in your capable hands.' They nodded then Zack, Whitehall and Daisy left the room.

Luka stood up and said, 'Hello Celestine. I am Luka. It's nice to meet you.'

Celestine smiled and said, 'It's nice to meet you, Luka.'

Rin stood up and said, 'Hi there. I'm Rin Kagamine. It's really nice meeting you. This is my br-'

Len quickly butted in and said loudly, 'And I'm Len Kagamine. Pleasure to meet you, Princesa.'

Luka, Rin and Miku stared at him and he said, 'What? Bruno taught me some Spanish.'

Rin rolled her eyes and Len shoved her. 'Ow!' she cried. Len laughed and Rin stuck her tongue out at him. Miku giggled and Luka said, 'Now that's enough Len, Rin.'

Miku turned back to Celestine and said, 'They're twins. Don't mind them. Now, what should we do first?'

Luka looked at Miku and said, 'I thought I gave you the list.'

Miku looked in her pockets and pulled out a scrap of paper. She unfolded it and began reading. She said loudly to herself, 'No. Nope. Boring. Ooh! Makeovers!'

Rin's ears pricked up. 'Makeovers?!'

Celestine looked puzzled and said, 'Makeovers?'

Miku helped her out of her chair and said, 'Sure! Makeovers. As a Vocaloid you need a super cool new look! So come on guys, let's hit the town!'

Miku walked with Celestine out of the door. Rin cheered and dragged Len out of the door. Luka sighed and followed the others.

Miku opened the final door, revealing the courtyard. Celestine was amazed. She walked into the garden that seemed like a natural paradise.

Miku looked confused, but then Luka said, 'She's never been outside before. I remember when I first saw the outside world. It's daunting, but beautiful.'

Miku smiled at Luka and said, 'I guess you've never forgot that feeling.'

Luka looked at Celestine and said, 'We should never forget the feelings of our youth.'

Miku ran outside after Celestine with Rin and Lin, Luka following behind at a walking pace.

Celestine stared at the beauty of it all and Rin giggled.

Len said to her, 'What's so funny?'

Before Rin could insult him (probably) Celestine said aloud, 'It's...Um...'

Miku said, 'Are you lost for words?'

Celestine turned around and said, 'Yes. I am lost for words.'

Luka smiled at Celestine and said, 'I think the word you're looking for is... Stunning.'

Celestine nodded, turned back and said to herself, 'Stunning.'

Miku grabbed her arm again and said, 'Come on, to the town!'

Miku had lead Celestine and the others right out of the complex. Now they were walking through the town, down the main streets to the shops. People in the town started to talk.

'Is that Hatsune Miku?'

'She's a proper celebrity!'

'And Meringue Luka!'

'I love her!'

'Oh wow, it's the Kagamine Twins!'

'Star shock!'

'They are SOOOO cute!'

'Especially Len.'

'Who's that with them?'

'She's wearing a dressing gown.'

'Is that a new Vocaloid?'

Celestine began to blush and she wasn't sure why. Len said to Celestine, 'Everybody here knows our names. We're kind of famous.'

Rin looked at Len and said, 'But nowhere near as famous as Miku. She's a real star!'

Miku blushed and said, 'I don't really think so. I'm not THAT famous yet. But I will be soon!'

Luka looked at Miku and said, 'Don't be so modest. Everybody practically worships you, Miku!'

Miku stopped at the door of a hair salon. She opened the door and said to the others, 'I wouldn't exactly say that.'

They walked into the shop and a brown-haired man came up to them.

He said to Miku, 'Miku, darling!'

Miku smiled and gave him a hug. 'Hi Lance!'

He walked right up to Celestine and started touching her hair.

'Oh my... I haven't seen hair like this since Beauty School!'

Celestine looked scared and Miku said to Lance, 'This is the newbie. I suppose you already know the drill.'

Lance kept fiddling with her hair and said, 'What on earth were they thinking? This colour's just... Tragic.'

He put his hand on her shoulder and pulled her over to a booth with a chair and a mirror.

He smiled and said, 'Wait here, sweetie.'

Miku, Luka, Rin and Len all sat down in other booths. Hairdressers soon came to them. Celestine could overhear their conversations.

'I know long hair is my signature, but these ponytails have gotten so long I've started tripping over them. A little trim?'

'I think some highlights and a new style could be what I need.'

'Ooh, I'm thinking I'd like to go BRIGHT blonde, so I don't start looking like my brother.'

'My sister and I look really similar, so I'd like to go bright blonde. I mean BRIGHT. And a cut would be nice.'

Celestine couldn't help but notice that there was two side of the store. She seemed to be sitting in the 'Vocaloid' section, away from the humans. She felt a little ill at ease. Lance came back to Celestine, with a whole tray of tools. He said to her, 'What would you like, honey?'

Celestine shrugged and Lance began looking at her long hair. 'Well, if that's the case, will you let me go all out on it? Like, surprise you?'

Celestine didn't really understand what he meant but she agreed. He blindfolded her and got to work.

Back at Vocaloid HQ, Dr Whitehall was walking down the gloomy corridor. He was leaving the medical bay for the day; the other doctor who covered the nightshift had already arrived. It was 5:00 on his watch meaning it was time to go back to his family. He whistled as he walked and thought about what will be waiting for him when he got home. He looked up and saw a shadow in the distance. Right outside the door of the laboratory.

He ran towards the shadow in a panic and shouted, 'Oy! Who's there?'

The shadow quickly turned around to see the doctor. As fast as lightning, the shadow jumped out of the window and onto the street. The professor ran to the window and saw it run away into the evening sun. He hesitated, thinking he should report the incident. But he quickly forgot and went home.

An hour later, Lance cried out in joy. He called over the others, who had already finished. Lance lifted the blindfold and Celestine was amazed. The other Vocaloids were also speechless. Celestine's hair was now a really hot blonde. It was curly and short, with an awesome fringe. But the tips of her hair were light pink.

Len stared at her and said, 'You look beautiful.' Rin kicked him, but he just laughed.

Lance looked at Celestine and said, 'Do you like it?'

Celestine nodded and said, 'It is... Stunning.'

Lance grinned and said, 'I'll send the bill to your company. Later!'

Luka turned to Miku and said, 'What else is on the list?'

Miku got the list out again and read it.

She said out loud, 'Well, we may as well do the things we can only do in town...'

Luka grabbed the list, read it at said, 'Wardrobe.'

Miku and Rin cheered. Miku yet again gripped onto Celestine' arm, dragging all five of them out of the door.

While they were outside, they heard people shouting in the street. They walked across the road to the town square, which seemed to be the cause of all the commotion. Celestine saw a red haired girl talking via a megaphone. People crowded around her, yelling at her. The Vocaloids listened to what she had to say.

'My good people. In today's world, we walk among the Vocaloids. We view them as our friends. However, has it ever crossed your mind that these Vocaloids are our enemies?! They are not natural and you can't believe they feel real emotion. They're not real, like us. They're just robots, with hair!'

Miku muttered a few rude words under her breath, but Luka nudged her.

The strange girl continued, 'These Vocaloids are beginning to replace our singers. We can't beat them musically! But, what if they turned around from their music and chose to battle against us?'

Len shouted, 'Never!' and Luka quickly put her hand over his mouth before anyone would notice.

'If these robots battled against us, we wouldn't stand a chance! They were made to be perfect. Still, the guarded and gated headquarters? Don't you think that's a little suspicious? What if... They're just soldiers. Designed to massacre us.'

The crowd booed and began throwing various things at her while shouting a variety of insults.

'Fine! You can call me crazy but soon there will be war!'

Sirens began calling in the distance and police cars came to tackle the crowd.

Luka shifted the others away and said, 'We should go. I sense trouble.'

As they were walking away, Celestine turned to look at the girl. She had her head on top of a police car, an officer was handcuffing her. The girl looked at Celestine, cold and hard. Celestine was curious. What was this unease she felt? And why could she feel this girl's pain? Miku called for her to hurry up, so she followed her into a shop.

Celestine stared at the glorious interior of the clothes store. It was packed full of colourful clothes and accessories. It was lined with plush pink sofas and crystal chandeliers. The staff were well groomed and seemed friendly. One of them invited Celestine to sit down.

Miku called out, 'Vanessa? Are you here?'

Suddenly, a woman with black silky hair wearing a pair of ridiculously large earrings walked in from the curtain in the back. She saw them and laughed.

'Darlings! Miku, Luka, Rin and Len. How fabulous to see you again!'

Len blushed and said, 'It has been a while. Vanessa...Princesa.'

Vanessa laughed and said, 'Don't try to flirt in Spanish, Len. It's really not your style.'

Len looked embarrassed and Luka butted in, 'So, Vanessa, what do you know of this girl who seems to be lecturing in the plaza about us?'

Vanessa looked out the window at the police cars and said, 'Her name is Miley Jones. She goes to the University here. In fact, she used to work here. But she quit when we opened the shop for Vocaloids as well as humans. Bright girl, but with a severe hatred of your kind. Try to stay away from her and don't take anything she says to heart.'

Rin and Miku gulped. Vanessa walked over to Celestine and stared. Celestine began to blush when Vanessa leaned in and said, 'Darling, a bathrobe is not a good fashion statement.'

Miku was about to explain but Vanessa hushed her and called her stylist team.

'As a new Vocaloid, you need your own look. Stylists! Let's work.'

The police dragged Miley down an alleyway. Two stood either side, the rest of the squad had gone back to the station. She kicked and shouted at them.

'Hey, where are you taking me? The prison's on the OTHER side of town!'

They looked at each other and nodded. They threw her to the ground and walked away.

'What are you doing? You can't just leave me here!'

To Miley's surprise, a voice came from the shadows.

'Poor misguided girl. We know you want to fuel a revolution, but you won't get anywhere with attitude and a megaphone.'

Miley turned herself around and looked up. She saw the figure of a woman, with a large ball gown, a wide brimmed hat and a cane. She started to feel scared.

'Who are you? What do you want?'

She pointed her cane at Miley; Miley backed away but couldn't find the energy to escape.

'I want you on my side.'

Half an hour later, after Len was getting bored to death, Celestine stepped out of the changing room. The stylists were huddled in a corner, sweating. But they'd done a very good job indeed. She looked in the mirror. She was wearing a plain tank top with a white plaid punk skirt. She had white hounds tooth tights and grey high-heeled boots. She also had a pink and black tie.

Miku smiled and said, 'You look adorable!'

Celestine grinned and said, 'Adorable AND stunning.'

Everyone laughed and Vanessa said, 'I'll put it on the company's tab.'

All five Vocaloids walked out of the shop, arm in arm. They were smiling and laughing as they walked back to the building, the setting sun reflecting off their shoes.

When they got back, Professor Zack was waiting. He smiled when he saw they were safe, but he had to look twice at Celestine.

'Celestine, you look lovely! Good job guys!'

Rin giggled and said, 'Don't thank us, thank the stylists!'

Luka poked Miku and whispered, 'Where did you put the list?'

Miku loudly said, 'But I thought we did everything!'

Everyone stared and Luka put her head on her face. She sighed and walked over to the door.

'We still need to show her around. Isn't that so, Professor?'

Zack nodded and grinned.

'You heard the Luka. Go on guys. Have fun, Celestine!'

He walked back to the lab and the Kagamine twins latched onto Celestine. They pulled her towards the door as Luka let them in. They were in a long white corridor with white door and white computerized panels next to each door. Celestine stared at it all, taking it all in.

Miku stood next to Celestine and smiled.

'Impressed?'

She nodded and Miku giggled.

'It's just the corridor! Come on, we'll show you around.'

She pointed to the door on Celestine's left and said, 'This is the Music Room. That's where we play instruments and most importantly, singing practise!' She pointed to their right and said, 'And that's the Kitchen. But a couple of us aren't allowed in...'

Len looked up and said, 'We're not allowed since Rin burnt some cupcakes and nearly set the house on fire!'

Rin poked him and he squealed. They continued onwards and Miku said, 'The one on the left is the Library & Schoolroom. That's where we learn new stuff. And the door on the right is the Lounge. It's our chill out zone, basically.'

Celestine pointed in front of her and said, 'What's this?'

Kin laughed and said, 'That's stairs. You walk up and down them.'

They walked up the stairs and Miku continued, 'This is the first floor. That's where all the 1st Generation Vocaloids live. So that's Leon, Lola, Miriam, Kaito and... Meiko.'

Celestine nodded, even though she didn't completely understand Miku's explanation.

Miku strolled towards one of the doorways and knocked.

A voice came from inside, 'Who's there?'

Miku smiled and said, 'It's ME!'

The voice sighed and opened the door. Standing in front of them was a woman with short brown hair and red highlights. Her brown eyes coldly stared at Miku and said, 'What do you want, Hatsune?'

Miku boldly smiled at her and said, 'This is Celestine, the newest Vocaloid! Say hello!'

Meiko closed to door and Miku angrily banged on the door while yelping, 'Hey Meiko, can't you just say hi?'

Meiko growled from inside, 'Get lost!'

Luka tapped Miku on the shoulder and whispered, 'Do not aggravate her. Meiko is a fan of sake and you know what that...'

Meiko yelled from inside, 'What was that, Luka?!'

Luka blushed and stepped back. Miku sighed and walked up the next flight of stairs. Celestine was quite taken aback by all this, but she didn't want to say anything. She followed Miku and Luka up the stairs, while Len and Rin held onto her legs.

Seven flights of stairs later, they had arrived at one door. Celestine wondered why they were making such a big deal out of a door. After all, they had walked past lots of other doors.

A little tired, Celestine asked, 'What now?'

Luka smiled and said, 'This is your room.'

Celestine looked shocked and said, 'My room?!'

The other four nodded and Celestine looked at the door. She tried opening it, but it wouldn't budge. She shrugged her shoulders at them.

Luka said in a very soft tone, 'It's computer-operated. Just say your name and it will open.'

Celestine whispered her name and nothing happened. Luka gently picked up her arm and put her hand on the panel. Celestine said her name loudly, and it opened. She squealed with delight and looked around the room. It was completely white. There was a bed near the door, a small window on the other side of the door. There was a small desk next to the window and next to the desk was a massive wardrobe that took up the entire wall. There was a chest of drawers opposite the desk and nothing else. Rin and Len let go of Celestine as she walked around.

Miku said, 'Well, I'm off! I'll see you at dinner, Celestine. Come on guys!'

Rin and Len chased after Miku but Luka stayed behind and added, 'If you need anything, press the call button. Dinner is at 1800h. I will see you there.'

Celestine lay on the bed for while, when she heard a knock. She said, 'Who's there?'

A soft male voice said, 'Oh, um... I just wanted to say hello. Are you the new Vocaloid?'

Celestine sat up and smiled. Someone had come to visit her!

She replied in a mature voice, 'Yes, I am.'

There was brief pause and then the voice asked, 'Are you going to let me in?'

Celestine blushed and opened the door from the panel on the inside. The door opened, revealing a handsome blonde boy with glowing green eyes. She blushed, but she didn't know why.

He smiled and said, 'So you're the newbie? Cool. I'm Leon. It's nice to meet you.'

He held out his hand and Celestine shook his like Miku showed her earlier.

She smiled back and said, 'My name is Celestine.'

He replied, 'Nice name. I guess the Welcoming Committee was helpful?'

She nodded and said, 'Oh yes. Miku is very lovely.'

Leon turned sideways and said quietly, 'Oh yeah? Well take my advice, if you want to get to know Meiko and a couple of the others...Stay away from Miku Hatsune.'

She didn't understand what he meant and gave him a confused look.

He walked away while he said, 'Food for thought. Don't stress about it. I'll see you at dinner, I guess.'

She closed the door and he stopped.

'Oh man,' he thought to himself, 'I must've sounded like a total jerk.'

She giggled and blushed in her room thinking about their awkward conversation.

In the lounge, Mew and Lola were sitting on the sofa. Leon walked in and sat down on the chair in the corner.

Mew looked up and said, 'Hey Leon.'

He nodded and stretched his legs. Lola looked at his worried face and said, 'What happened?'

He looked at the floor and said, 'I met the new Vocaloid just now. She's nice, but...'

Mew grinned and loudly said, 'You acted like a complete idiot. It's not the first time, dude.'

Lola nudged her and she smirked. Meiko walked in and said, 'What did Leon do?'

Mew said to her, 'He met the new Vocaloid.'

Meiko sat on the sofa between Lola and Mew.

Lola leaned forward towards Leon and asked, 'Was she pretty?'

Leon sat back and said, 'I don't know. I guess she was...'

Meiko rudely shouted, 'Hey, you know what we haven't done for ages?'

Mew said in a low tone, 'Drink sake.'

Meiko looked at her with a cold stare and said, 'For your information, I haven't had a drop of sake since last night.'

As Mew was buffing her nails she chuckled, 'New record!'

Leon and Lola tried not to laugh as Meiko got up and said, 'You guys are horrible.'

All three of them burst out laughing as Meiko stomped away.

The bell rang on time. Celestine left her room the moment she heard it. She walked into the corridor to see three other Vocaloids leaving their rooms. One of them, a small girl ran to the stairs. But the two other girls stopped and walked towards Celestine.

The girl with purple hair said, 'Hi there! You're the new Vocaloid, aren't you? I'm Avanna. I was the newest newbie before you got here! I'll be happy to show you the ropes!'

The other girl said to Celestine, 'And I'm Luo. Luo Tianyi. It's great we've got a full house of girls on our floor.'

Celestine nodded and Avanna said, 'That other girl was Mayu. Don't worry about her; she gets nervous around new people.'

Luo poked Avanna and said, 'Um, Avanna? It's dinner.'

Avanna smiled and said, 'Oh yeah, come with us, Celestine!'

They took Celestine down the corridor to a lift and Avanna said, 'Oh no, the lift is broken! We'll have to walk down.'

As they walked down the flights of stairs, Celestine asked, 'What is dinner?'

Luo replied, 'It's a human tradition. They meet up in their families, eat and talk about their day. Pointless if you ask me.'

Avanna turned around and said, 'Hey it's not pointless.' She turned back around and continued walking. 'It's sweet. It gives us a chance to catch up the other Vocaloids. And we've got to eat.'

Luo groaned, 'Why did they have to give us human metabolisms?'

Celestine giggled at the two of them talking.

Once they had walked down the final flight of stairs, Avanna said to Celestine, 'The dining room is in the other building.'

Luo looked at her watch and yelped. She pushed the other two out of the door and they ran towards the next building. Avanna led the way, with Luo and Celestine following swiftly behind her. Once they reached a large door, Avanna opened it. The Vocaloids were sat down a long narrow table, with Professor Zack at one end and Daisy at the other. Everyone stopped and looked at them. Avanna and Luo sat down; Professor Zack put his hand on the empty seat and said loudly, 'Over here, Celestine!'

The quiet Vocaloids started to whisper as Celestine walked past. A few giggled, others seem more dark and mysterious. Feeling a little nervous, the new girl took her place next to the professor. He stood up with a glass and a knife. He tapped the knife against the glass to attract their attention. The family of robots were immediately silent.

He said in a loud voice, 'Hello everybody. This is Celestine, our new Vocaloid. Even though she's a little early, I'm sure you'll give her a big welcome.'

All of them clapped and Celestine smiled. Suddenly it didn't seem scary at all.

He continued, 'Oh and before we tuck in, there's something I've got to remind you of. I'm sure you all know this, but the town's Music Festival is coming up next week. It's tradition for us to do the closing number, so make sure you practice! OK everyone! 1, 2, 3...'

Len shouted out, 'EAT!'

They began eating, some of them slowly, others quickly. Celestine looked down at her plate. The food looked delicious. But she didn't know where to begin.

The professor tapped her on the shoulder and said, 'Like this.'

He picked up his fork with his left hand (overdramatizing it for effect) and picked up his knife with his right hand. He put his fork into the tuna fillet and cut a piece off with the knife. He placed it in his mouth and chewed. Celestine copied and put the tuna in her mouth. She chewed and was amazed by the flavour. This was the first time her taste sense kicked in and she was enjoying it.

Zack smiled and said, 'It's Luka's favourite.'

Luka called from across the table, 'Go, tuna!'

He laughed and gave her a thumbs-up. She winked at him and called, 'Are you enjoying it, Celestine?'

She nodded in agreement and Miku turned to look. Miku giggled at Celestine's face and they all continued eating.

After the plates had been cleared, they all began talking. Zack whispered to Celestine, 'How many people do you know here?' Celestine looked around the table and pointed.

'Daisy, Meiko, Miku, Luka, Rin and Len, Avanna, Mayu, Luo and Leon.'

He nodded and said, 'That's quite a few. I'm kind of surprised. You must be popular.'

She grinned and he continued, 'Well I won't name everybody here. But there are a few faces that keep cropping up. Daisy is my intern; she's studying to go to university. Meiko is a little bit moody sometimes, but she's ever so lovely.'

He pointed to a blue haired boy next to Meiko and said, 'That's Kaito. Those two are never apart.'

He smiled and said, 'You know the Welcoming Committee. Miku is a real star, she's the most popular Vocaloid ever. Luka is a little robotic sometimes but she makes up for that by being wise. Rin and Len are... Well, Rin and Len.'

He pointed to a girl with green hair and said, 'She's Gumi. If you need anything at all, let her know. She's really friendly.'

He pointed to the boy next to her and said, 'That boy is Kiyoteru. He doesn't wear actual glasses, they're more of a fashion statement.'

He continued, 'Avanna was the newbie before you came along. She likes nature and being outside. Mayu's a little bit shy, poor girl. The General wanted a Vocaloid a little more "blank". And there's Luo. She's more serious than the others but she's a wildfire when she wants to be. And then there's Leon. I can't believe you've met him already...He's had a bit of a history. So that's all the people you should know and then some.'

Celestine nodded, even though she didn't understand some of the expressions of the professor. She sat quietly and listened to them talking. She overheard Meiko and Kaito whispering to each other.

She whispered, 'Hey, I was talking to the guys earlier. Maybe we should go down the bar altogether, like we used to. Just get a big group of us there, tomorrow.'

Kaito nodded in agreement and said quietly, 'Yeah that could work. It'll be nice. So who do you want to invite?'

Meiko grinned and said softly, 'Well, Sweet Ann and Tonio and always funny. Lola and Mew have to come. I'll ask Sonika but she'll probably say, "Ew, I have better things to do!"'

Kaito grinned and whispered, 'Don't forget Big Al and Kiyoteru! I love those guys!'

Meiko grinned and replied, 'I'm sure you do. Gumi might want to come, if Kiyoteru's there.'

Kaito looked over to Celestine and whispered to Meiko, 'What about the new kid?'

Meiko stopped grinning and looked at Celestine. She was shyly looking down, but she seemed observant, somehow.

Meiko replied to the blue haired boy, 'Hang on. First we've got to know whose side she's on.'

Dr Whitehall sat in his armchair. It had been a long day. He was glad to be home, next to the cosy fire while he watched the children play. His wife sat down next to him and said, 'I never got the chance to ask, how was work?'

He chuckled and said, 'The usual. The new Vocaloid arrived today.'

She began sewing and without hesitating said, 'I thought the new one was going to come next week?'

He sighed and said, 'No, there was a medical problem. She was premature. But it's fine. She's got glasses and that's about it. The boss wasn't too happy though.'

He sat there quietly for a few minutes. He thought about the day, about Celestine and before he knew it, the thought of the mysterious stranger popped into his head. He wondered about who it was and what they were doing. He thought nothing of it, it was probably some bursary messing around. Suddenly a thought came to him. His children were playing with a train set, one of them took tracks from the other. Without the second child knowing, the first was stealing the tracks one by one. That was when it came to him. The next day, he decided, he would report it.

* * *

**Well, another Vocaloid fanfic... But that's a HUUUUGE chapter! Still, things have gotten off to an interesting start. I hope you like it. DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. **

**Please R&R! ~ Imy!**


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